If we’re to believe the reviews written in the wake of The Kills’ recent gig at Soho Revue Bar then this third album should be self-regarding tosh on a par with The Fiery Furnaces whole career post-‘Gallowsbird’s Bark’. Perhaps the paparazzi’s disappointed muttering stopped people listening that night because the gig showcased a stylistic shift that should only be saluted.
We already know about The Kills’ impeccable taste in thrillingly sexy rock ’n’ roll (the Velvets, Suicide etc) but this time they’ve let more catholic influences permeate. ‘Midnight Boom’ has the bare feel of its long-playing predecessors but – thanks to the fingers of Spank Rock producer XXXChange – Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince are wearing smarter, if no less spartan underpants. These new booty beats (lo-fi, of course) reveal a playful side which aligns them with MIA, The Gossip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Britney just as much as their beefed-up ‘fuck and fight’ persona, which takes in glam and QOTSA yet will still appease fans of their clipped neo-blues grooves. And all this in under 35 razor-sharp minutes.
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